India News | ED Attaches Assets of Former Chhattisgarh Chief Engineer

New Delhi, Jan 22 (PTI) The ED has attached assets worth Rs 5.45 crore of a former chief engineer of the Chhattisgarh water resources department in connection with a money-laundering probe linked to a disproportionate assets case against him, the agency said on Friday.

The assets belong to former government official Ramanand Divya and his family.

The attached properties are in the form of agricultural land, plots located in Raipur, Bilaspur, Korba and Janjgir-Champa districts of Chhattisgarh and Rs 55.95 lakh in bank deposits, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said in a statement.

The central probe agency's criminal case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) is based on an FIR of the state Anti-Corruption Bureau.

A probe found that "immovable properties were purchased in the name of Priyadarshini Divya, wife of Ramanand Divya, while some were in the name of the former government officer himself".

"The properties were acquired through various ways of money laundering. In a few cases, the property was purchased directly in cash or through cash deposits in their own bank accounts as well as that of relatives," the ED said.

Routing of funds was done through the bank accounts of relatives and persons with meagre sources of income in the form of gifts or unsecured loans, the agency alleged.

"For purchasing some properties, fake sale agreements of other properties showing receipt in cash were also prepared to project the source of cash as untainted. Also, there are frequent sale and purchase of properties to project the source of money for purchase as genuine, whereas the very source of the initial purchase was unexplained," the ED alleged.

It claimed that an amount of Rs 2.13 crore was paid in cash for purchasing properties, apart from another cash amount of Rs 66 lakh in the registered sale deeds for different properties that were acquired by the Naya Raipur Development Authority (NRDA) in lieu of compensation.

"The source of these cash transactions is unexplained in the hands of the accused and his family members," it said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)